King Herod Exhibit at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem

If you plan to visit Jerusalem in 2013, you should go to the Israel Museum and see what promises to be a fascinating exhibition on King Herod the Great that will run from February till October. CNN put up this video:

Restoration work in progress in preparation for the exhibition

Herod the Great, ruler of Judea from 37-4 BCE, one of the most fascinating and influential figures in classical history is the spotlight of the Israel Museum’s upcoming archaeological exhibition.

Centered on the sensational discovery of Herod’s tomb at Herodium – finally uncovered after a 40-year search by the late Professor Ehud Netzer and his team from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – this groundbreaking exhibition, with over 100 unique archeological artifacts, will delineate, for the very first time, the multifaceted portrait of the king whose deeds changed the face and the fate of the land forever.

We invite you to view remains from the Second Temple of Jerusalem, marvel at the craftsmanship of the ancient stonemasons, walk through fully reconstructed palace halls decorated with frescoes and stucco, enter, for the first time the burial chamber in the king’s mausoleum, in a monumental, life-size reconstruction and to view the intricately carved sarcophagus believed to have held the body of the king.

Elements of Herod’s Tomb being assembled
The Upper Palace at Herodium, where Herod was buried. © Leen Ritmeyer

This mountain Fortress-Palace was built by Herod the Great as a place for refuge and burial in the Judean Desert, not far from Bethlehem. The circular building was seven stories high and had many rooms inside the double-walled structure. Four defensive towers were built along the outer wall. Herod’s tomb was discovered in 2007.
Herod was king at the time when Jesus was born (Matthew 2.1; Luke 3.1).

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